Liberty Bell of the West
Liberty Bell of the West
Older than the Liberty Bell of the "East",
this 650-pound bell was a gift to the citizens
of Kaskaskia in 1741, from King Louis XV
of France.
Inscribed on its surface are the words:
"...Pour L'eglise des Illinois par les
soins du roi d'outre l'eau..."
which translates as:
"...For the church of the Illinois,
by the gift of the King across the water.."
Upon its arrival in New Orleans, it was hauled
up the Missisippi River on a bateau, pulled
by ropes.
This bell was rang when George Rogers Clark
captured Kaskaskia for the Americans on July
4, 1778.
Housed in a 'shrine' built by the State of
Illinois in 1948, it is next to the Church
of the Immaculate Conception. At one time
visitors could enter the shrine and actually
touch the bell, 'flick' their fingers against
it and hear the soft peel... but now it is
look only, through barred door.
During the flood of 1973, the bell was washed
from its stand, widening a hairline crack
that had been discovered in 1948. In spite
of the crack, islanders continued to ring
the bell every July 4th. The flood of 1993
again washed the bell from the stand, widening
the crack to a dangerous width. With over two centuries of ringing tidings,
it now remains silent.
Independence day ceremonies are conducted
at the site each year, with guest speakers,
usually someone "directly" connected
to Kaskaskia through descendence.
The public is invited to attend.
In the left and right corners of the above
photo, are tombstones, rather, partial stones.
Where these are from, I do not know, as there
was no one to ask on the day I visited the
site. Below is a close up of the only readable
stone.
In the photo above, behind the bell, you
can see a wall mural. This pictures depicts
the village of Kaskaskia the way it "was".
It was painted by Roscoe Misslehorn, a renowned
artist of Randolph county.
Below is a picture of the Bell Shrine, looking
NW.
